St. John of Sahagún

St. John of Sahagún was born around 1430 at Sahagún in the kingdom of León, Spain, and died on 11 June 1479 at Salamanca. Ordained a priest and for a time a holder of several benefices, he was moved by conscience to give them up, keeping only one small parish, and after studies at Salamanca and a grave illness, during which he vowed to enter religious life, he became an Augustinian friar in that university city.

He became one of the most celebrated preachers of his age, drawing great crowds by the power and plainness of his words, fearlessly rebuking vice and injustice among rich and poor alike, and laboring so effectively to reconcile the feuding factions of Salamanca that he was called the peacemaker of the city. Marked by a profound devotion to the Holy Eucharist and by many reported miracles, he bore opposition and even threats with courage. Canonized in 1690, he is commemorated on 12 June.